Stay Away From Us
by LRCrowley
Summary: The BAU team tackle a new case, unaware that the unsub is terribly protective of their "work"...They won't hesitate to take drastic actions  violent actions!  if the team don't stay out of it. And of course, the team is NOT going to stay out of it...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

There was nothing Agent Derek Morgan liked more than getting his teeth into a new case. He sat down in the conference room next to his colleagues and watched expectantly as JJ stood at the head of the table, case in hand and a grave look on her face.

"OK, well guys, this one is local. Very local, in fact; there have been a series of home invasions here in Quantico that have all ended in murder. Four women have been killed in five nights, all within a six mile radius of the city centre. We have one surviving witness, although she is in critical condition in the hospital, "JJ cast her eyes over the faces of her team members, "She was this unsub's first victim and it seems he intentionally didn't go through with killing her. Since then, he has killed each of his victims."

"How is he killing them? Do we have a pattern in the victims?" Reid wasted no time in getting the facts which he would no doubt go on to analyse in great detail.

"He's making the deaths look like accidents; he breaks in at night, slips some kind of sedative, most likely a strong prescription sleeping pill, into their drinks and he smothers them. With plastic bags," JJ said grimly, as she gestured to picture that had just appeared on the projection screen. The team took in the sight of the bodies of five red-headed women all lying in the same position on their beds, positioned as though they were sleeping; they looked peaceful. Their eyes were closed.

"He's got a type; all red-heads," Morgan noted, as he took notes, scribbling down any ideas or notions as soon as they popped into his head.

"Is that why the police didn't come to us sooner? They thought these were just accidents?" Hotch asked, annoyance apparent in his voice. The police force in Quantico and the BAU team had frequent disagreements, usually due to the police feeling overshadowed by the expert profilers; they tried to keep their crime fighting separate, even if it meant not informing the BAU of important details.

"The original police reports simply say that the women died due to suffering from sleep apnea," JJ said, taking a deep breath and continuing before her boss had a chance to get _really _angry, "but as soon as the coroner's reports came out and foul play was suspected we were contacted immediately."

"It has been estimated that as many as 18 million Americans have sleep apnea and it is more common in men, affecting 4% of middle-aged men. Death is actually a rare result of the condition, although sufferers are three times as likely to have a motor vehicle accident - "

"Reid," Morgan held up a hand to halt his younger colleague's statistics-based rant, "None of these women actually suffered from sleep apnea –"

"That we know of! Officials estimate _10 million _Americans have the condition but have not been diagnosed!" Reid's look of enthusiasm quickly turned to embarrassment when he saw the exasperated faces of everyone looking at him. He mouthed a small sorry and motioned for the others to continue.

"Right, Morgan and Prentiss, you can both go to the latest victim's house and take a look around. Reid and I will go and talk to the coroner, maybe take a look and the bodies, and JJ can you go and see if the police have alerted the media yet? The last thing we need is the press terrifying all the red-heads of the city," Hotch said, his face set in determination as he stood up. The team all rallied around as they followed his orders, eager to do the best job possible. Hotch waited until they had left to talk to the unnaturally quiet Garcia, who was still sitting at the table apparently absorbed in the case file.

"Garcia, is everything alright?" He asked gently, "You've been quiet all morning."

"I'm fine, sir," she said unconvincingly, not even looking up. "Really, I'm _fine._"

Hotch simply walked out the room with a swift goodbye; if Garcia said was fine, she was fine. Once the rest of the team had left Garcia walked with a heavy heart back to her computer filled office. She felt sick when she thought about what she was keeping from the team. Making sure there was no one lurking around to see what she was doing, Garcia took the folded photograph from her pocket and looked at it. When she had found it taped to her apartment door that morning, she thought it was just a strange joke, something left there by some weirdo who had a crush on her, and this was his way of flirting. It was only when JJ had described the nature of their latest case that the photo was cast in a whole new sinister light.

A pretty young woman with vibrant red hair lay sleeping on the white sheets of her bed. She looked so serene, the light from her bedside lamp casting a beautiful illuminating glow on the curve of her naked back. Scrawled on the back of the picture in chicken-scratch handwriting was a simple statement.

_Stay away from us._

Garcia hadn't even considered the sinister undertones of this message. Until now. She wasn't sure why she hadn't told the rest of her team about the photo as they sat in the conference room. She had just been in shock that this unsub knew where she lived and knew that they were going to be investigating these murders and she had felt a strange dread settle on her mind that told her she maybe shouldn't go telling anyone about this; if the unsub knew where she lived, would he know if she told someone? Garcia thanked her lucky stars that she was sleeping at Kevin's house tonight as she tried to think of a way around the implications of telling someone about the photograph.

**Chapter 2**

_Five times I have tried and five times they have ruined everything. My husband heard from his friend who works at the police station that the police were treating this like murder cases, and now those official FBI-types are sticking their noses in. I don't know what they are trying to pull; it seems like one of those conspiracies you read about…_

_But how dare they do this? I'm trying to protect her. I just want her to get the rest she needs, and they storm into our house and tamper with her? Every time I go to check on her in the morning, there's police tape across the doors and they have taken her away from me! I need them to leave her alone, she must be so scared and so tired. She probably just wants her mom. I'm the only one who can help her sleep; she needs me._

_I sent one of those BAU women a little note explaining how I feel; maybe she's a mother too and will understand… But if it happens one more time, I will have to send them a much stronger message. I would do anything for my daughter. I would beg, steal, borrow, kill. Whatever it takes for them to just leave us in peace._


	2. Chapter 2

**Bonjour! Once again I am beyond thrilled that people are enjoying my stories…forgot to say before, this story is based on a suggestion by ****gothina234 ****so thank you to her! I'm getting pretty into the crime side of this story, the motives of the unsub are hopefully gonna be veeeery interesting but if anyone is getting bored of this and wants more character stuff/whumpage of a character who's name rhymes with "Schmreid", please let me know. Suggestions are what I thrive on **

**Lauren x**

**Chapter 3**

"Special Agent Morgan, and this is Special Agent Prentiss," Morgan introduced himself to the head of the forensic team who were currently combing through the latest victims house.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Dr Young," replied the striking dark-skinned woman who was standing before them in a white coat and blue latex gloves. "So the fifth victim, Rosie Oldstein, lived here alone. Neighbours say she rarely had visitors and kept herself to herself."

As Dr Young lead Morgan and Prentiss through to the bedroom, Prentiss nudged Morgan and whispered, "Those gloves doing anything for you?"

"She was found lying in the foetal position in bed under the covers. As you saw in the kitchen, she had dropped her wine, which was spiked with a strong sleeping pill and dragged in here. The murderer fully dressed her in a night gown and folded her clothes up and put them back in her wardrobe," Dr Young continued gravely, "She was most likely killed in her bed."

"The unsub positioned her like this for a reason…" Prentiss began, trailing off in thought.

"Regret? Remorse? He "took care" of her, so he must have felt something. This wasn't a cold-blooded murder; he was emotionally invested in her," Morgan suggested, slipping a sideways glance towards Dr Young to see if she was listening.

"Did he dress her in the night gown and position her like that before or after he killed her?" Prentiss addressed Dr Young, ignoring Morgan's slight show-boating.

"After. The…was it 'unsub'?" Morgan and Prentiss nodded; they were used to this question. "The _unsub_ fully prepared the girl and then asphyxiated her as she lay there unconscious. Judging by the residue left on her face, the unsub used Seran wrap held down over her face and nose."

"Ok, well it definitely sounds like a delusional sociopath. This unsub believes that this killing is justified, maybe that these red-headed women are asking to be killed and he is doing them a favour," Prentiss said, and Morgan nodded whilst Dr Young looked impressed.

"I'd heard that profilers were smart, but…your logic is _very_ impressive," she said, smiling at Morgan meaningfully, "Both of you."

Morgan and Prentiss left the victims house with a new wealth of information about the unsub that they were excited to share with their colleagues. As they got into the jeep Prentiss smiled at the slightly dopey look on Morgan's face. He's in love, she thought affectionately. Morgan didn't even notice her chuckling lightly as the two parts of his brain balanced thoughts about asphyxiation and long read hair and tall, statuesque doctors with unreal curves…

Hotch and Reid arrived at the morgue in silence. Reid had been listing all the information he knew about red-haired people and how this could correlate with the murders on the way; as soon as the information became not-so-useful, Hotch simply said, "Reid. Enough." And the rest of the journey had passed _very_ quietly.

Once the pair of them reached the room where the body of the fifth victim Rosie Oldstein was being held, the silence was broken as Hotch introduced himself and Reid to the coroner.

"I'm Special Agent Hotch and this is Dr Reid."

"It's a pleasure. If you'd like to follow me, I can show you to the body," Hotch and Reid exchanged a little look; this guy was a little abrupt, but hopefully this wouldn't affect the information he gave them. They followed him into the cold, grey room where a white sheet covered the body of Rosie Oldstein from the neck down.

"Asphyxiated with Seran wrap. Strong traces of zolpidem in her system. No other injuries," the coroner said in a monotonous voice.

"What is 'zolpidem'?" Hotch asked. Reid opened his mouth, no doubt about to recite the answer but Hotch gave him a stern look; this guy probably wouldn't appreciate being upstaged by a guy who was about twenty years younger with a trendy haircut.

"Zolpidem is a strong prescription sleeping pill," the coroner said in a bored voice, as if talking to a couple of children.

"Reid, get Garcia to look up anyone who has taken out a prescription for Zolpidem in a six mile radius of the city centre," Hotch said quietly and Reid immediately left the cloying room that had the uncomfortable coldness of death. He whipped out his cell phone and dialled the overused speed dial of Penelope Garcia.

"You are speaking to the human dictionary of all things, speak to me and I may grant you three wishes," Reid smiled at his co-workers eccentric greeting.

"Hey Garcia. I need you to look up everyone in a six mile radius of the city centre who have taken out of proscription of Zolpidem," he asked and there was a silence of a couple of beats on the other side of the line.

"Is this for the case about the girls with red hair?" Garcia finally asked, sounding much less confident than normal.

"Yeah. Why? You sound weird," Reid said in his normal naïve way.

"Oh nothing, sweetpea. I'll get right on it and send you the deets," Garcia hung up immediately after replacing her charade of happiness. She looked at her computer screen thinking of the exact moves she needed to perform in order to extract the information that was asked of her in seconds. Yet she couldn't do it. Instead, she whipped her phone out and sent a short text to Reid.

_Systems are down here Reid, I can't get you that list till later. Sorry hot stuff x_

She then turned her cell phone off, packed up her belongings and left the office. She needed to get to Kevin's place and talk to him. She needed to stop thinking about photographs of dead girls and strangers lurking at her door.

JJ faced a group of half-rabid journalists and took a deep breath.

"We don't know anything yet. As soon as we have a solid profile of the murderer we will tell you. Please do not report anything _yet_," she said, making sure she looked all the reporters in the eyes to convey the significance of her words.

After a lot more coaxing, JJ managed to secure promises from everyone in the room that they wouldn't run a story until they had something concrete to report. Her natural charm and friendly smile was a God-given trait in her job and she knew exactly how to make the people she dealt with feel happy and content with the situation. As the gaggle of reporters started to leave the room, there was suddenly a wave of murmuring as they all clamoured round something.

JJ pushed forward slightly to see what was going on; one of the reporters held an iPhone and was furiously scrolling through a page. There was a sudden cold vibe of discontentment and annoyance amongst the group.

"Excuse me, what's going on?" JJ asked the woman with the phone.

"So it's Ok for _online_ sites to run a story like this?" the woman asked sarcastically.

"Excuse me?" JJ repeated, dreading the answer she knew was coming.

"A local news site reported this story 3 hours ago. It's getting thousands of hits every minute. It's out, baby," one of the journalists replied with a leering smile.

"Ok, I don't know how this happened, but I can assure you, I did not –" JJ was interrupted by annoyed noises made by all the reporters in the room.

"Whatever. This story is fair game for us now," the woman with the iPhone sneered and with that, JJ was alone in the room. She pushed a hand through her long blonde hair and sighed. Hotch was going to _kill_ her.

**Chapter 4**

_This is insane. Slander, surely?_

_MURDERS OF RED-HAIRED WOMEN RAVAGE THE CITY_

_SERIAL KILLER WITH A THING FOR RED-HEADS_

_MASS MURDERS…_

_ASPHYXIATION…_

…_WARNED TO LOCK THEIR DOORS AT NIGHT…_

_MURDERER_

_I don't know what this means, but they are twisting everything. What do they think they are doing? She will be so scared when she reads this nonsense. Murder? Why are they twisting everything? The worst thing is that they will try and keep us apart now. But they won't succeed. If they want to start spreading lies all over the news I can show them that I will not be scared away. They can't keep us apart. I only want to help her. My daughter._

_I will show them that I can be serious too. I warned them. So now they will see how far I am willing to go to protect her. I will sit and I will wait and when I see one of them, I will strike. And I will tell them to leave us alone. Stay away from us. _

_But right now, I have to find her, before she gets too scared. She loves this grocery store. Always did. I see her in the next aisle. I can see the glint of her beautiful hair between the tinned fruit. It is so special. She is stunning. My daughter. I go to her. She smiles at me, polite, just like I taught her._

_Except she doesn't seem to remember me. She walks away, pushing her cart. She is wearing a long white dress and I imagine her feet are probably bare under the hem. She never liked shoes when she was little._

_To prompt her memory I ask her if she's seen my daughter. She smiles at me, kind and radiant. Shakes her head and asks me how long she has been missing for. Not long, I say. Then I tell her she looks familiar, I think I have seen her around. I am her neighbour. She smiles and says something, but I'm not listening. I know she understands. I will go to her tonight and help her. She is telling me she is tired, asking me to help, without saying a word. We don't need to speak, we understand each other. The bond between mother and daughter is strong. I will always find her. I will help her. Tonight. _

**PS I am sorry for the absence of Rossi, I always seem to forget members of the team! There are just so many of them and they all so interesting. So as a little author's N.B. Rossi is on holiday haha**


	3. Chapter 3

**Woah, sorry about the delay I've been pretty swamped lately… but the break from this story had meant I've got some ideas about what will happen next! Enjoy and keep reading, my friends! Next chapter will be coming VERY soon x**

**Chapter 5**

"No, no, no, they did _what_?" Hotch moaned pressing one hand to his eyes as a headache built up in his temples.

"I'm sorry, sir, I do not know how this got out," JJ said, slightly ashamed. She knew she hadn't screwed up but she couldn't help but feel she could have done something to prevent the leak.

"It wasn't you, JJ," Hotch said, sighing, "You wouldn't be so reckless, I know that."

"It's out now anyway, nothing we can do but try and catch this guy before this does any damage," Morgan said reasonably. He was trying to keep his head in the room with his colleagues but it kept drifting back to Dr Young and the way Morgan could tell she was wearing a dress underneath her white coat. A short dress…

"Hey, have you guys seen Garcia?" Reid asked, walking into the conference room where the team had regrouped after their separate endeavours of the day. Everyone shook their heads in puzzlement.

"Isn't she in her office?" JJ asked, confused. She'd been there in the morning…

"No, she's missing and she never got me the list of prescriptions I asked for because the computers were down, but according to the other technicians who were here all day, there were never any problems with the system," Reid said, clearly confused; he could not understand why Garcia might have lied and shirked her responsibilities.

"Was she sick?" Prentiss interjected, feeling slightly anxious.

"Well, some people saw her leave, but she didn't say anything to them and now her phone's switched off… do you think she's Ok?" Concern rose in Reid's voice. He didn't like not knowing where his team were; this fear stemmed from the abandonment issues he had developed over the years. Gideon's swift departure of course played a large part in this.

"Whatever's wrong with her, I am not happy," Hotch said in a dangerous voice, "It is hugely irresponsible and not like Garcia at all."

The team all looked at each other, uncomfortable at seeing their boss angry and knowing one of their own was shying away from her duties. For all of the BAU team, this job was the most important thing to them and they put a huge amount of effort into every single case; even if it meant emotional turmoil, even if it mean working themselves into exhaustion, even if it meant risking their lives.

Despite the angry tension settling over his colleagues, Reid couldn't help but worry. Garcia was normally always around, an ever present source of sunshine and constant jokes. She wouldn't avoid us, we are her family, the brilliant Reid reasoned in his head. Morgan noticed the furrowed brow and intense look on his younger friend's face and gently put a hand on his shoulder.

"You alright, genius?" he asked gently, but even his softest tone made Reid jump and knock his coffee over.

"Wha – oh, my gosh, I'm sorry, sorry," Reid yelped, trying to dab at the cold coffee soaking his notes on the table. His brow was still scrunched up in deep thought and he wasn't making eye contact with anyone. Before Morgan had the chance to ask Reid what was up, he had mumbled an excuse and hurried from the office, brown satchel clutched in his hands.

The rest of the team looked at each other with raised eyebrows, although none of them were _too_ shocked; strange behaviour wasn't exactly out of the ordinary for Reid.

"Well, you know his coordination goes down when his mental activity goes up," JJ half joked, although it was very much true.

"You think he's on to something?" Hotch asked, eyes darting across all of the faces of his team.

"Definitely," Prentiss said, "I just hope he's not driving any heavy machinery…if he's got something really brilliant in that head of his he'll barely be able to think straight."

The team sniggered at the joke and the tension in the room eased slightly. They discussed the case and what they would do about the press leak, totally unaware of the danger one of their colleague's was about to be in.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 6**

As Reid hopped on the subway, his leg jiggling with nervous anticipation, he couldn't help but feel bad that he didn't share his worries with his friends. However the nervous nausea bubbling up in this stomach had prevented him from speaking and now was preventing him from eating any lunch. He hadn't eaten all day, just drunk copious amounts of coffee. He tugged at the tie around his thin neck; no wonder everyone was always trying to feed him up, he was a stick! Although, standing next to the enviably muscular form of Derek Morgan would make _any_ guy look like a stick…

Reid barely noticed that the subway had arrived at his stop, but he realised in time and began his decent up towards the street; Garcia's street. He had never been to Garcia's apartment but he had seen her address on her file once and it was stored in a compartment of his ginormous brain.

He wasn't sure what he was expecting to find. The journey felt familiar in way. He could still feel the gravel crunching under to tyres of his car as he pulled up to Gideon's cabin and he could hear the silence as he called to his mentor, only to find an empty house in return. At least now he was prepared for the worst. Before, he had expected to find Gideon, but now he knew that you couldn't rely on people, not really. You were always going to be let down; no one was going to _always_ be there for you. That was why when Reid knocked on Garcia's door and stood quietly as he waited for a response, he wasn't shocked when there was no reply. Not really. He thought Garcia was his friend but she was shutting him and the rest of the team out. But that was just life.

Head hung low the young man walked down the stairs and out onto the street. If anyone was watching him as he walked back towards the subway, they might never have guessed that his heart was breaking as he failed to understand _why._

**Chapter 7**

_I sit and wait in my car outside the apartment of the BAU woman I sent that note to. Today I will retaliate. They want to spread lies, well I will just have to show them that I don't appreciate it. They will see my stern side…I smile as I think to myself how stupid they will feel. They will apologise to me as they see their mistakes. They will apologise for trying to get between a mother and her dear daughter._

_Last night was successful. After our encounter at the grocery store I found my daughter in her house. She fell asleep quietly, didn't cry, didn't make a peep. She looked so incredibly peaceful as she slept. Just like she did when she was a baby. My baby. There has been nothing in the news about her, no twisted lies of journalists, making this seem like something…unsavoury._

_I breath in her smell as I sit in the car, I took one of her shirts and it smells like her, like my daughter. I get tears in my eyes when I think of how much I love her._

_Someone is going into the BAU woman's apartment building. People have been coming and going for hours but this one is different. This is a man who works for the BAU also. He looks young and I have seen him trailing after the other members of the team with a look of eagerness on his face. He looks young, and innocent. But he works for them, I mustn't forget that. I sit and wait as he goes inand for ten minutes I wait some more, before he comes out. He has the faint aura of a lonely man, I can see that. He walks towards the subway station…he must be heading back to his office. Must be._

_I was planning to teach them a lesson by targeting the woman who lives here, roughing her up a bit. I have a balaclava and baseball bat in the boot of my car. But since I have not seen her all day and this young man is already here and available, I might as well use him as my message. I slowly ease the car out of park and step on it. I have to beat him back to Quantico so I can meet him there. I smile to myself and breath in the scent of my daughter in my car. Don't worry, sweetie, I will protect us…_

**Chapter 8**

Reid got back to the BAU offices with the intention of sitting down with a cup of coffee and telling Morgan what he was afraid of. The journey on the subway had granted him some time to think; maybe Garcia _hadn't _bailed on them. He knew he had to talk about his feelings, bottling them up only made them grow like a cancer inside him. He felt almost hopeful as he crossed the street towards the office.

….

_I have been sitting outside the BAU offices for about ten minutes. I was almost going to give up and go back to that woman's apartment, when I see him. He is about to cross the street! Now is my only chance! I press my foot onto the accelerator and my vision sees only this man as he walks acorss the street. This is for her!_

…..

Reid registered the sound of squealing tyres in his peripherals, but he paid it no attention. The car came out of nowhere. He was flying. Somewhere between consciousness and blacking out, Reid thought how strange it was that his feet should have left the ground.

There was no pain, just heaviness in his side and his left arm and leg. The pain came when he hit the ground.

It was like waking from a strange dream. I've been hit by a car, he realised. He lay on his back breathing heavily. Everything felt broken and there were stars in his vision.

…..

_Got him! I savour the thud as his frail body hits the hood of my car. He spins through the air and lands on his back. I know it's pushing my luck, but I hop out the car quickly and march over to his twitching body. I grab his tie and yank. He makes a noise like a wounded animal and his eyes try to focus on my face. I tell him that this is a warning. That is all I say, and as I let his tie go, his eyes close as he passes out. I walk quickly back to my car, I have to ignore the voices that are confronting me so I can drive away._

_WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?_

_STOP! _

_YOU COULD HAVE KILLED HIM!_

_They don't understand. I drive away, ignoring the shocked faces that stare after me in disbelief. They don't understand._

**Chapter 9**

Morgan was laughing as he and Prentiss goofed off in the office. They were in high spirits despite everything that was going on. Hotch normally would have told them to focus and get back to work, but to be honest, he was happy to see them happy. Ever since they had taken this case, he had had an unpleasant feeling in his stomach. Maybe it was due to the unpleasant nature of the case, but they had dealt with worse… something just felt wrong, like there was a disaster lurking around the corner.

As if on cue, an agent who worked in the Quantico division in a different department rushed in, without knocking. This was going to be bad news. Hotch tried to prepare himself, but before he could ask the woman what the problem was, she said the words that would knock the wind out of him.

"Another body was found. Another woman with red hair, she was suffocated too," she said nervously, "and there has been an accident. An agent was hit by a car just outside a short while ago. He's been rushed to the hospital with some very serious injuries."

"Which agent?" Hotch asked, coolly.

"Spencer Reid."

**Chapter 10**

Once Garcia had reached Kevin's apartment, she felt a whole lot more relaxed. Leaving the cloying atmosphere of the office where she was constantly thinking about what she was doing and how it might be completely and disastrously be the wrong thing, had taken a weight off her mind.

Midway through her romantic meal of the finest Chinese takeout with Kevin, she had been struck with a sudden thought. Penelope, what are you doing? she asked herself. You have nothing to hide, your team will be able to help, you fool! She laughed out loud when she thought of the absurdity of her behaviour.

"Uhh, honey?" Kevin asked, a puzzled look on his sweet face.

"I should have just told them about the photo, with the note! And got Reid his list of prescriptions! What is _wrong_ with me?" she shrieked in reply.

"Right…" Kevin nodded before fixing Garcia with a stare, "What?"

It took less than five minutes for Garcia to explain the situation, and once she had finished, Kevin agreed she should have acted differently. But he also agreed that the pressure she was under due to the way the unsub had contacted her directly made her acted irrationally. The sympathy from her lover was a relief to Garcia that made her sleepy…or maybe that was just the combined effects of the large meal and three glasses of red wine.

As Garcia got into bed that night she vowed to herself that she would march into the BAU offices first thing tomorrow morning and explain to Hotch everything that she had kept from him. She had no idea what had transpired earlier that day; she had no idea that her colleague and friend was in hospital because of what she had failed to share with the team.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 11**

Passers-by stood, mouths agape, staring at the ragdoll-like body that lay in the road. For a few moments that passed like an eternity no one did anything but stare. It was the natural reaction for humans in that kind of situation; they stare and evaluate before they act. Right now a group of people were staring at the body. They could see it was a young man wearing simple black pants with a navy cardigan over a white shirt and a jauntily patterned tie. He had a boyish good-looking face. His eyes were closed and there was a bruise forming on his temple. Blood soaked his tousled dirty blonde hair. He was wearing Converse chucks and they could see brightly coloured socks peeking out. When they saw how the socks were mismatched, they began to act. This simple yet intriguingly eccentric quirk tugged at the peoples heart-strings and they leapt into action. Several phones were whipped out and ambulances were called and fingers were pressed to an already-cold neck and hands were clasped over mouths when they saw the blood. A cluster of on-lookers quickly formed around the young man's body, creating a protective barrier around this stranger.

"Did you see what happened?"

"She got out and spoke to him!"

"What did she say?"

"She just drove away, I didn't see the licence plate?"

"Is he dead?"

Snippets of hushed conversation filled the air and the atmosphere buzzed with the kind of excitement people feel when they witness a horrific car crash on the freeway or read about a grisly murder as they eat their oatmeal.

Someone pushed their way through the crowd and exclaimed when they saw the body. The man demanded to know if an ambulance had been called before running inside the Quantico offices that were just over the road. He seemed to know the man who had been hit and was obviously going to alert someone. Before he had a chance to come back, the siren of an ambulance came closer until the people in the crowd had to cover their ears.

Paramedics rushed out and the crowd parted in a Biblical way. They checked the life signs of the man on the ground and seemed satisfied enough. Questions were barked directly at the people standing closest to the body; _What happened, how long has he been here, has anyone moved him?_ A neck brace was strapped on and the lifeless body was gently transferred onto a gurney and put into the back of the ambulance.

When the ambulance had driven away and all that was left was a small pool of blood in the road, the crowd dispersed. They went back to their daily business and soon you might never have guessed that there had been an attempted murder committed there.

**Chapter 12**

Prentiss and Morgan rushed to the hospital to see if Reid was even alive after the hit and run earlier. Hotch had broken the news to them in his normal brusque way, but he had ordered the two agents to go to the hospital; he had to stay to get the details of the latest murder of another red-headed woman. Garcia had begged to go with them but given the state she was in (sobbing and crying for her _baby boy genius_) she wouldn't have been a useful addition.

"God, I hope he's OK," Prentiss said, staring at the road passing at lightning speed in front of them. She wondered if Reid had flown through the air before hitting the unforgiving asphalt or if he had been dragged along the road until he passed out… She closed her eyes and let out a laboured sigh.

Morgan said nothing. He wanted to comfort Prentiss but he doubted he could make his mouth say anything of comfort right now. If he lost that kid, that brilliant, awkward genius who was like a brother to him, he didn't know what he would do. Morgan was so protective of those whom he held close to his heart and Reid had inadvertently forged his way into Derek Morgan's heart pretty much the first time the two had met. Or at least from the first time Reid had failed his physical examination test…

When they had reached the hospital the pair wasted no time in hurrying to the reception and asking for Reid.

"Spencer Reid…Reid…Ah yes! He's in the emergency room right now. The doctors are doing all they can…" the receptionist said regretfully, he eyes full of concern.

"Is he gonna be alright?" Morgan managed to say through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to speak to a nurse for that. You are family – of Mr Reid?" she asked, eyes sweeping over Morgan's dark skin and Prentiss' sophisticated appearance.

"Yes," Prentiss said, she and Morgan already making their way to the fifth floor, "And it's _Dr_ Reid."

Morgan and Prentiss tracked down a nurse with the kind of sniffer-dog efficiency that they taught at the FBI.

"Spencer Reid?" Morgan asked, his eyes unblinking as he looked at the face of the young, slightly abashed-looking male nurse.

"Uh, he's in surgery right now," the nurse stuttered.

"And?" Morgan was in no mood to deal with anything other than upmost competence right now.

"Are you – how are you related to the patient?" Prentiss merely flashed her badge and the young man's eyes widened. He was impressed, "Oh right, OK, well he's in critical condition. Left leg and arm are fractured in several places and he has four broken ribs and a fractured collar bone. He has a pretty serious head wound that the doctors have stitched up but they won't be sure how serious it is until – if – he wakes up…"

"_If_ he wakes up?" Prentiss breathed, eyes glazed with tears that were ready to fall.

"He could be in a coma. And he – " The flustered nurse took a deep breath before continuing, "He has some internal bleeding. Ruptured kidneys. That is what the doctors are working on right now."

Morgan and Prentiss both let their gazes fall o the floor, almost in defeat. The broken bones they could deal with, but a coma? Internal bleeding? This all sounded like the precursor to an autopsy report. What if Reid never woke up? What if he died on the table? What if he emerged from surgery comatose, his phenomenal brain wasting away behind his dormant eyes?

At a simple and fraught request the nurse eventually led the two agents up to the operating theatre, after a lengthy internal battle. In the end, he had decided that he did not want to do anything that might upset two federal agents. They had _guns…_

Morgan and Prentiss looked through the glass observation panel that separated them from the cold metal and sterile smell of the operating theatre. They couldn't have prepared themselves for the sight they were presented with.

Their friend lay on the table, a white sheet covering his stomach, where several surgeons were bent over in intense concentration. A tube went all the way down his throat and his eyes were closed in a deep slumber…hopefully not a permanent one. A huge purple bruise covered the side of his head and a deep red gash was visible under his bangs. There was a video screen which showed the process of laparoscopic surgery; a small camera that was inserted into Reid abdomen helped to guide the surgeons as they fixed the young agent from the inside out. Morgan, although nauseated by the sight of his colleagues guts, was secretly glad he was seeing them on a video screen and not splattered all over the road…this job had taught him the fragility of the human body and he understood how lucky Reid was. If only he would wake up…

Prentiss took his hand as the two of them looked on in horror and hope. At some point one of them would ring Hotch to tell him what the situation was and then one of them would go back to the office to get to work on the case whilst the other stayed in the hospital to await post-surgery news. But for now they would just stand side by side, hand in hand and silently pray.


End file.
